Students
often
hear
that
winters
were
colder
or
had
more
snow
in
the
past.
This
activity
will
help
them
to
determine
if
this
is
a
true
or
accurate
statement
for
their
location.
Students
will
access
historic
weather
information
from
NOAA
and
NASA
internet
resources.
They
will
determine
changes
in
average
temperatures,
precipitation
and
cloud
cover
over
time
from
data
and
relate
global
changes
to
local
...
Full description.

The
onset
of
winter
in
higher
latitude
regions
of
North
America
brings
snow
to
the
area
around
the
Great
Lakes.
The
amount
of
snow
is
dependent
on
many
variables.
One
of
the
most
significant
factors
determining
snowfall
amount
in
the
Great
Lakes
drainage
basin
is
the
surface
temperature
of
the
lakes.
In
this
lesson,
students
will
extrapolate
information
from
selected
MY
NASA
DATA
and
NOAA
websites
...
Full description.

Using the Internet as a resource to locate and graph scientific data, students will explore the seasonal changes in precipitation for the Costa Rican Region. They will generate and analyze satellite data for precipitation to identify the two seasons of Costa Rica and relate their importance to the travel industry.
Full description.

In
developing
models
for
climate
change
and
weather
prediction,
the
measurements
of
surface
and
near-surface
temperature
are
an
important
factor
in
the
modeling
process.
As
the
Sun
heats
the
Earth's
surface,
the
atmosphere
is
warmed
from
below
by
the
processes
of
conduction
and
convection
from
the
surface.
However,
near-surface
air
temperature
(approximately
10
meters
above
the
surface)
is
often
different
...
Full description.

Climate
is
the
long-term
weather
conditions
for
a
region,
generally
determined
by
30
or
more
years
of
records.
Climate
zones
can
be
defined
using
parameters
such
as
temperature
and
rainfall.
In
this
lesson,
students
will
make
climatic
diagrams
called
climographs
which
will
relate
weather
and
climate
for
a
particular
location.
Monthly
average
values
of
weather
data
such
as
temperature
and
precipitation
...
Full description.

Solar
radiation
(light)
strikes
Earth's
surface
throughout
the
daylight
hours.
Radiation
(heat
or
infrared)
also
leaves
the
Earth
during
daylight
and
at
night.
Averaged
over
time
and
space,
these
downward
and
upward
energy
fluxes
are
equal.
If
they
were
not,
our
planet
would
gradually
heat
up
or
gradually
cool
down.
But
the
surface
of
our
planet
is
not
simply
a
mirror
for
radiation.
Some
of
the
incoming
...
Full description.

Researchers
such
as
paleoclimatologists
or
dendrochronologists
use
tree
ring
analyses
as
one
tool
to
reconstruct
climate
information
about
the
past.
They
will
often
reference
data
from
other
sources
such
as
historical
weather
records,
and
ice
core
or
ocean
core
samples
to
support
their
findings.
In
this
lesson
students
will
utilize
monthly
average
precipitation
data
to
strengthen
conclusions
about
...
Full description.

Back
in
the
days
of
Christopher
Columbus,
voyages
made
across
bodies
of
water
were
dependent
upon
winds
and
currents
to
drive
the
sailing
ships.
Thus
good
navigation
routes
were
often
determined
by
prevailing
weather
conditions
such
as
the
Trade
Winds,
and
then
discovered
by
explorers.
In
this
lesson,
students
will
explore
the
wind
climatology
for
the
Atlantic
Ocean
basin
(as
determined
by
satellite
...
Full description.

In
this
lesson,
students
download
cloud
coverage
and
surface
data
from
the
NASA
CERES
S-COOL
website
student
observation
database,
then
use
the
Excel
spreadsheet
program
to
develop
plots
of
the
data.
Students
explore
the
relationship
between
cloud
coverage
and
humidity
for
low-,
mid-,
and
high-level
clouds.
The
lesson
provides
detailed
procedure,
related
links
and
sample
graphs,
follow-up
questions
...
Full description.